Charms - an online consumer resource guide

Time Saver

An online resource guide to charms: We look at charm collecting in the past to their place in modern times in forms such as charm bracelets and necklaces.

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The collecting of charms is a hobby that has been popular with women over the past century, cementing it as a timeless fashion accessory of modern times.

While modern charms as we currently know them were founded in the 1940s, a primitive form of charms dates back to the Neolithic era where people would carry a stone to ward off enemies.

Recognizable charm jewelry first appeared during the Egyptian era, and then reappeared throughout history in Roman times, the middle ages, and also the reign of Queen Victoria.

Charms in modern times

Modern charms surfaced in the 1940s at the end of World War II. Soldiers who were stationed abroad picked up charms made by local people to take home for the women in their lives, such as their mother, sister, girlfriend or wife.

This trend picked up in the United States, and finally expanded across the world and was popular with women for many decades. It became tradition for parents to gift their teenage daughter with a bracelet, from which she would add to over her lifetime as she reached certain milestones.

While the popularity of charm bracelets died in the 1970s, it soon reappeared two decades later with the emergence of vintage charms onto the antique jewelry market. This has proven the resilience of this timeless piece of jewelry.

Over the years there have been a number of different variations and takes on the charm collecting hobby.

Charm necklaces, where the charms are attached to a necklace chain rather than a bracelet, became popular in recent years. It is said that many elderly women decided to attach their charms to necklaces as they were getting too heavy to wear around their necks. The trend took off when it was made popular by such celebrities as pop singer Britney Spears.

In the 1980s, Italian jewelry makers Nomination launched an Italian take on charm bracelets, which has swept the world and become one of the most popular fashion accessories of the past decade. These unisex bracelets feature interlinking modular stainless steel charms that feature pictures, symbols, letters and semi-precious stones.